Marvel's 'Hawkeye' Disney+ Series Lands 'Troop Zero,' 'Comrade Detective' Directors

[HARDY]

 

The Jeremy Renner series is filling its quiver with helmers.

Hawkeye, the TV series featuring Marvel’s masked marksman, has found its directors. Or, at least, some of them.

Bert and Bertie, the nom de plume for Amber Finlayson (Bert) and Katie Ellwood (Bertie) and known for helming Amazon’s coming-of-age comedy, Troop Zero, have been tapped to captain a block of episodes of the Marvel Studios series that will air on Disney+.

Also pulling the string for a block will be Rhys Thomas, a Saturday Night Live helmer who has also directed Staten Island Summer, Amazon’s action comedy series Comrade Detective, and John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch.

Jeremy Renner, who played the role in the big-screen films, will be reprising Clint Barton, who first made his comic debut back in 1964’s Tales of Suspense #57. One of the arcs of the series is Barton’s mentoring of a new generation of archer, Kate Bishop. Hailee Steinfeld was previously in negotiations for the part but it is unclear if her deal has closed. Marvel had no comment.

Jonathan Igla (Mad Men, Pitch) is writing the series.

Hawkeye is part of the first wave of Marvel shows that was due to hit Disney+ starting in fall 2020. The first show was to have been The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but the series has been delayed to the coronavirus pandemic affecting production. Other shows include WandaVision (later in  2020), Loki (spring 2021), then Hawkeye. All will see the silver screen thespians toplining the series.

At D23 in 2019, Marvel chief Kevin Feige announced that shows featuring She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight are also in the works.

The past credits of the director hired suggests that the show will have a light-hearted tone and that the directors could be following the path set by Joe and Anthony Russo, who helmed comedies before undertaking the massive Captain America and Avengers movies.

Bert and Bertie made their debut with 2016’s Dance Camp, then followed it up with Troop Zero, which made a splash at 2019’s Sundance Film Festival where Amazon snapped it up. Colorful and energetic tones have been a signature of their work, as has snappy relationships. The duo have also directed episodes of Hulu’s buzzy period show, The Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult.

Bert and Bertie are repped by Verve. Thomas is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Ziffren Brittenham.